The unexpected has
happened. It is a headline result Iceland has defeated the mighty England.
England started the
proceedings brightly and within 4 minutes they were awarded a penalty when
Sturridge was fouled inside the box. Wayne Rooney buried the spot kick to give
the 3 Lions an early lead. Minutes later, Iceland stunned the English when
Ragnar Sigurdsson tapped in a flicked header from a long a throw to equalise.
England created a few chances in the following minutes but they failed to
convert each time. In the 18', Iceland shocked England yet again to take the
lead. This time, England goalkeeper Hart was to be blamed when he failed to
hold onto a low shot from Sigporsson. The panic among the English players was
clearly visible as possession was lost quickly. Towards the end Roy Hodgson's
men saw more of the ball and started creating spaces but a goal was still
lacking.
Roy Hodgson introduced
Wilshere for Dier in the 2nd half to add more power to the attack. His
influence was felt from the opening stages of the 2nd half itself. Ten minutes
into the 2 half Iceland almost scored the 3rd goal when a corner kick produced
havoc in the England box. In the end, Hart blocked Ragnar Sigurdsson's overhead
kick from ten yards. At the hour mark, Sterling was replaced by Leicester
striker Vardy. Iceland continued to sit back and defend but they created
chances often though England had the ball for most of the time. Sigurdsson made
a brilliant tackle on Vardy inside the box to deny him a chance. Within
minutes, on the other half, Saevarsson's blistering shot flew over the
crossbar. In the 80', Wilshere's inch-perfect pass found Kane, but the
Tottenham striker headed it straight at the Iceland goalkeeper. With 6 minutes
to go, Gunnarsson missed out a clear chance when he was left with just Wilshere
and goalkeeper Hart in the box following an Iceland counter attack. Surprisingly
in the 86', Rooney was substituted with Rashford by Hodgson. Rashford made his
presence feel quickly but even the Manchester United starlet was unable to put
an end to Iceland's fairytale.
Iceland will face hosts
France in the quarters.
GOALS
ENGLAND: W.
Rooney 4'
ICELAND: R.
Sigurdsson 6', K. Sigthorsson 18'
FULL TIME RESULT
ENGLAND 1 - 2 ICELAND
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